AREAS
OF PRACTICE & OFFERED SERVICES
A TEAM OF SPECIALISTS:
As may be required for specific assignments, my practice
utilizes a team of independent specialists including Petroleum Engineers, MBAs,
Geologists, Production Supervisors, Landmen, Accountants, and Oil Company CEOs,
among others.
DUE DILIGENCE:
Disclosure is simply not enough when
you undertake Due Diligence. Oil
& Gas Due Diligence can be as hazardous as drilling.
As a legal counselor and provider of
professional legal services, you know the value of highly trained, experienced,
and skilled professionals in highly specialized disciplines. Oil and Gas Due
Diligence is extremely specialized and requires a wide mix of distinct professionals
to do the job right.
Whether for your firm, or your
clients, I have assembled one of the most complete service offerings regarding
Oil and Gas Due Diligence. Our
associated legal, financial, accounting, engineering, geology, insurance and
investigative personnel have decades of experience in flushing out the
information you and your clients need. Consider:
á The Oil and Gas Industry has its own
language – and, it is not found in the ÒDefinition of TermsÓ.
WE SPEAK
THE LANGUAGE
á Oil and Gas financial analysis
requires a minimum of three different professional disciplines.
WE HAVE THE
PROFESSIONALS NEEDED
á Oil and Gas Law is highly specialized
and changes constantly.
WE ARE
CURRENT
á The area
of mineral rights ownership has become even more complex with horizontal
drilling practices.
WE KNOW WHY, WHERE, WHEN AND
HOW
á Insurance, bonding and asset
protection is a critical component to a responsible driller, producer,
transporter or program sponsor.
WE KNOW
WHERE TO LOOK
á ÒPast PerformanceÓ is not only a poor
indicator of future results; it is far too often a poor representation of past
results!
WE KNOW
THE DIFFERENCE
á Petroleum Engineering, Oil and Gas
Law, Geology, Financial Accounting, Research, Financial Analysis, and
Investigative Services are mandatory in understanding an oil and gas venture,
whether it be an investment, merger, acquisition or
lending opportunity.
WE HAVE
THEM ALL.
OIL & GAS LEASES:
There is no such thing as a
ÒStandardÓ Oil & gas Lease.
Particular attention must be paid to leases currently being offered in
Ohio. Key current issues include;
delay rental rates, landowner groups, spud fees, ORR, drilling units,
unitization, drill pad size, access roads and setbacks, just to name a
few. I provide lease assessment,
assist with negotiation and acquisition of drilling leases and non-drilling
leases, as well as right-of-way agreements within your economic guidelines or
based upon specific economic analysis. I provide my clients with a review and
critique of lease design and structure, including specific attention to terms,
delay rental, unitization, landowner royalties, shut-ins, free gas, surface
equipment, pooling, assignments, water use, indemnification, storage and
default among others.
LANDOWNER ASSOCIATIONS:
Together with my team
of specialists, I offer representation of Landowner Associations based upon the
unique concerns and goals of each entity.
My services include; creation of the legal entity, addressing individual
concerns of the members, assessing the membersÕ acreage to prepare it for
leasing, Petroleum Engineering analysis of the parcels, suggesting favorable
lease terms and provisions, identifying prospective Developer/Lessees, and
negotiating the Leases. We work
closely with the members throughout the process to ensure their informed and
reasonable expectations.
OIL & GAS DEVELOPMENT; STRUCTURE AND IMPLIMENTATION:
I provide my clients with a thorough
review, assessment and specific recommendations for your Offering Structure,
Private Placement Memorandum design, and Capital Formation structure as your
clients seek to secure investment capital and/or joint venture partners for
prospective drilling, completion and production projects.
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS / RISK ANALYSIS:
I am able to provide my clients with
an evaluation of prospective development projects and specific drill sites
based upon return on investment profiles with Internal Rate of Return summaries
for capital sources. This in-depth
analysis starts with a Township Well Survey Report that includes identification
and quantification of well data from current and historic completion and
production records, resulting in a comprehensive lease profile that rates and
identifies prospective leases and/or drill sites for acquisition. This
procedure entails assembling and assessing sand isopach
(non-shale projects) and reservoir pressure system data, cumulative production
assessment, prospective site spacing, setbacks, transmission capacity and
availability, landowner identification (i.e. drill/non-drill), right of way
assessment and preliminary economic analysis of prospective drill sites.
EXIT STRATEGIES:
I design short and long
term exit strategies for equity owners with petroleum based assets, in
concert with associated legal, accounting and securities professional service
firms.
LEGAL COMPLIANCE AND PUBLIC RELATIONS:
My professional services place an
emphasis on compliance with applicable sections of The Ohio Revised Code and
The Ohio Administrative Code, as well as on the impact of Substitute Senate
Bill 165. Separately, I am prepared
to address both public and private concerns related to hydro-fracing, directional/horizontal drilling, and the
development of the Marcellus and Utica Shales.